Commentary on the Eastern Wise-Men Travelling to Bethlehem Guided by a Star to See the Little Jesus in a Manger Thomas Paine Alexander Huber Editor Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BG UK
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive
Taylor Institution Library St Giles' Oxford OX1 3NA UK info@eighteenthcenturypoetry.org https://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/
Oxford This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Cleary, Scott M., ed. Claeys, Gregory, gen. ed. Thomas Paine Collected Writings. Vol. II. Part 2: Poetry. Princeton Princeton UP 2026 pp. []-[]. 5 Volumes.

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Commentary on the Eastern Wise-Men Travelling to Bethlehem Guided by a Star to See the Little Jesus in a Manger

Commentary on the Eastern wise-men travelling to Bethlehem guided by a star to see the little Jesus in a manger

Mat Chap 2
Three pedlars Trav’ling to a fair , To see the fun of what was there , and sell their merchandise — They stopt upon the road to chat , Refresh and ask of this or that , that they might be more wise — And pray the Landlord said to them , where go ye sirs ? To Bethlehem , the Citizens replied ye are merchants sirs to them said he , we are replied the pedlars three : and Eastern men beside , And pray what have ye in your sacks , If worth the while , I will go snacks ? To them Quoth Major Domo , we’ve buttons , buckles , spectacles , and every thing a merchant sells replied the travelling trio . These things are very well said he , For beaux , and those who cannot see , Much further than their knuckles , But Bethlehem fairs ’ for boys & girls , who never think of spectacles , and cannot buy your buckles . I have a pack of Toys Quoth he , A Travelling merchant left with me , who could not pay his score . And you shall have them on condition , You sell them at a cheap commission , and make the money sure . There’s one of us will stay in pawn , Until the other two return , If you suspect our faith said they , The Landlord thot this was a plan , to leave upon his hands the man , and therefore he said nay . They truck’d however for the pack which one of them took on his back ; and off the merchants travell’d and here the tale , the apostles told , of wise men and , their gifts of gold , will fully be unravell’d . The star in the East , that shin’d so bright , as might be see both day and night , If you will credit them ; It was no other than a sign , To a public House , where pedlars dine ; In East street Bethlehem . The wise men were those pedlars three , As you , and all the world may see , By reading to the end ; For commentators have mistook , In paraphrasing of a Book , They did not understand . Our Travellers coming to the House , Scarce fit to entertain a mouse , Inquir’d to have a room . The Landlord said he was not able , to give them any but the stable , so many folks were come . And pray who have you there said they , and how much money must we pay , for we have none to spare . Why there one Joseph and a wench Who are to go before the bench , about a love affair . Somehow or other in a manger , A child exposed to every danger , was found as it was sleeping . The girl she swears that she’s a maid , so swears the man and I’m afraid , on me will fall the keeping . Now If you’d set yourselves about , To find this knotty story out , I’d pay whate’er it may be . So in the travelling pedlars went , To pay their birth day compliment , and talk about the Baby . They first unpack’d their pack of Toys , some for show and some for noise , But mostly for the latter , one gave a rattle , one a whistle , and one a Trumpet made of gristle , To Introduce the matter . One squak’d away , the other blew , The third play’d on the rattle too . To keep the bantling easy . And thus the story comes to us , of which the people make such fuss , about the Eastern Magi .